Proof you own your home, straight from the land register

The land register is the legal record of who owns land in Australia, so a current title search is the strongest proof of ownership you can give. It shows each registered owner's full name, the property's lot and plan, its title reference, and the date it was searched.

Before you order, check exactly what you've been asked for. If they'll accept something you already have, such as a council rates notice, you may not need a title at all. If the letter or form says 'title search', 'certificate of title', 'copy of title' or 'title deed', this is the document.

Paper title deeds have mostly gone, so 'a copy of my title' today means a current title search, emailed as a PDF. More on title deeds.

• It shows every registered owner's full name, and whether you own it alone, as joint tenants or as tenants in common.
• It shows the land by lot and plan, and the title reference the registry uses for it.
• It shows any mortgage still registered, with the lender's name. Paid the loan off? See is my mortgage discharged?
• It shows an address for the owners in Victoria, WA, SA and the NT. That's the address for service recorded at the registry, which can be an old one if you've moved.
• It doesn't show what you paid, and not every state prints the date you became the owner. Your settlement statement from the conveyancer has both.
• It doesn't always show the street address, because most titles describe land by lot and plan. If the agency needs to match the two, send a rates notice with it.

1. 1Search by your street address, then check the lot, plan and title reference we show you before paying. Your rates notice usually lists the lot and plan.
2. 2Pay for the title. It usually arrives by email within minutes, including at night and on weekends.
3. 3Forward or upload the registry's PDF exactly as it arrives. Don't edit or annotate it.
4. 4Keep a copy. A title search is current on the day it's searched, and that date is printed on it, so order a fresh one if they later ask for a recent copy.

The Title search is all most agencies need. You send them the registry's PDF; the one-page plain-English summary is for you (included in NSW, VIC, SA, TAS, the ACT and the NT). Prices start at A$79, registry fee included. See pricing.

The Title + Full Report adds every entry explained, a mortgage-discharge check and a printable ownership summary, which suits you if you also want a tidy record for your files or the family. That summary is a record for you, not a government certificate: agencies want the registry's PDF. The Full Report isn't available in WA, or in Queensland yet.

If you settled recently, the transfer to you may not be registered yet. It can show as a pending dealing (a document lodged at the registry but not yet registered) until it is.

If your name is misspelt, or you've changed it since you bought, the registry can record the correction or change of name. Your conveyancer or the registry can tell you which form to use.

An entry you don't recognise, such as a caveat or a dealing you didn't lodge, is rare and usually has an ordinary explanation. Ask a conveyancer or solicitor what it means before doing anything else.